This invention relates to devices and methods for removing a cork from a bottle, and particularly to devices and methods that facilitate the use of a corkscrew to remove a cork fully from a bottle with minimal damage to the cork.
As is well known, a cork is ordinarily removed from a bottle by threading into the cork a corkscrew having a handle and pulling the cork out of the bottle with the cork screw. There are many variations of corkscrew. In the simplest case, the corkscrew merely has a handle and the cork is removed by pulling on the handle. However, many corkscrew include some type of leverage mechanism to facilitate removal of a cork.
One well-known example of a leveraged corkscrew comprises a body and a rod having a handle at one end, a screw at the other end for insertion into a cork and lever arms for removing the cork. The rod has a cylindrical portion and a plurality of spaced protruding rings that surround a portion of its circumference. The body includes a sleeve through which the rod slides and a base that rests on the rim of the bottle. A pair of lever arms that have protruding teeth at one end are rotatably connected to the body by a pin so that the teeth engage the spaced rings of the rod and thereby translate rotational motion of the lever arms to linear motion of the rod and vice-versa. In use, the screw tip is inserted into the cork by rotating the handle. This rotation causes the rings to moved downward, engaging the gear teeth, and thereby causing the lever arms to move upward. The screw tip is inserted into the cork sufficiently deep that the cork can be at least partially extracted by pushing the lever arms down toward the neck of the bottle.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,367,923 discloses a leveraged corkscrew having lever arms with teeth that interact with corresponding teeth on a shaft that contains a screw at one end and a handle at another. Insertion of the screw into the cork causes the lever arms to rise which provides leverage when removing the cork.
A further example of a leveraged corkscrew is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,454,282, which discloses a pocket corkscrew that comprises a handle having a lever arm at one end, and a screw disposed between the lever arm and the other end. The lever arm has notches. In use, the screw is inserted into the cork by rotating the handle. A notch on the lever arm is placed over the rim of the bottle to provide leverage. The other end of the handle is pulled upward in an attempt to remove the cork
When using corkscrews it is desirable not to insert the screw too deep into the cork because this could possibly damage it. In addition, if the contents of the bottle are to be saved for another time, a hole that extends through the cork may expose the contents of the bottle to air. As a result, the range of motion of the lever arms and the pulling action of the screw often are not sufficient to completely remove the cork from the bottle after a full swing down. Then, in order to completely remove the cork from the bottle, the cork must be jiggled out, which leads to frequent breakage of the cork. The screw can also be inserted further into the cork, but as previously mentioned, this frequently leads to breakage of the cork.
Therefore, there is a need to provide a device that will enable a corkscrew to completely extract a cork from a bottle without damage to the cork.
The aforementioned need has been met in the present invention by a spacer and method of use thereof that provides additional leverage to a corkscrew. The spacer has a bottom surface that abuts the rim of a bottle, a top surface that abuts the bottom of a corkscrew, and a side opening that is sufficiently large to receive the cork. Once the corkscrew has been used to partially remove the cork, the spacer is placed around the exposed cork by pulling the body of the corkscrew away from the rim of the bottle while the screw is still inserted in the cork, thereby opening a space between the rim of the bottle and the bottom of the corkscrew, and inserting the spacer in that space. Force can then be reapplied to completely remove the cork from the bottle. The spacer can be used with any corkscrew that extracts a cork while pushing against the rim of the bottle. One or more spacers may be attached to the corkscrew by a flexible cord for convenience. In one embodiment, a hinge mechanism interconnects a number of spacers of various thicknesses and hole sizes. Preferably, the hinge mechanism is a rod that is placed through a hole formed in each spacer so as to align the spacers along an axis of rotation. When a certain spacer is needed, it is rotated out of alignment for placement between the rim of the bottle and the bottom of the corkscrew.
Therefore it is a principle object of the invention to provide a device and method that will enable a corkscrew to completely extract a cork from a bottle.
It is another object of the invention to provide a device and method for providing additional leverage to a corkscrew.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a device and method of removing a cork from a bottle without damaging the cork.